Mahabir Pun criticizes corruption in taxi purchase and permit distribution

Kathmandu— Mahabir Pun, founder of the National Innovation Center and a member of the House of Representatives, has expressed strong outrage over the severe irregularities and corruption in taxi purchase and black number plate distribution.

Through a post on social media platform Facebook, he has drawn the attention of the government and concerned authorities to the serious issues faced by taxi operators and drivers.

Pun shared that after hearing the tragic story of a taxi driver, he felt immense anger towards previous governments. He noted that currently in Nepal, buying a simple taxi costs between 3 to 3.5 million rupees, and an additional 1.5 million rupees is required to obtain a black number plate (public operation permit).

Pun described the demand for an extra 1.5 million rupees for the number plate, even after paying up to 300 percent tax to the state for the vehicle, as “a very large corruption.”

He vented his anger, accusing the government of remaining silent amidst the illegal extortion and collusion of syndicates in the transport sector.

Using strong language on social media, he wrote, “Let those brokers go to hell. This must be reformed.”

He has strongly demanded an immediate halt to such syndicates and broker systems that put ordinary and low-income working-class drivers in distress, and called for extensive reforms in this system.